Originally this website covered only the World War II period
from May, 1940, when Webb Miller, United Press, died in a
London blackout to 18 April 1945 when Ernie Pyle was gunned
down on a remote Pacific island, Ie Shima. Intent was to
present a historical narrative of how street reporters and foreign
correspondents were suddenly turned into combat correspondents.

In the span of those two dates, 52 more reporters, writers,
photographers and one famous novelist were killed on action.
They were covering a conventional war with two distinct sides,
the Allies and an enemy composed of Germans, Italians and
Japanese.

This page, however, is being pulled together as this nation
is in military turmoil with two wars and Libya, a military action
yet to be defined. This is what is happening now in the structure
of reporting a war. Today the Internet makes it possible to
immediately report on conflicts the world over. In the first two
weeks of the multi-nation assault on the Gaddafi government
(March 2011) more than 300 reporters of various stripes and
countries roamed in and near Libya. There has been confusion.

While there is no central press office for briefings from various
factions, there is a new player. Two, actually: Al Jazeera Arabic
and Al Jazeera English. A veteran Ohio newsman with contacts
around the world, Mike Lorz, has been told that reporters in
desert Libya have been depending upon streaming Al Jazeera
reports to keep up with the fast moving ground and air picture.
Al Jazeera in both languages scored big with coverage of
Egypt and the quick overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.

Bottom line: More reporters are in more danger than ever before.
Below you will find our coverage of their coverage. (22MARCH2011)

21MARCH2011
Compare: WW I reporting...Libya's reportage mess...
During World War I accredited correspondents wore Army-issue
uniforms, Sam Browne belts and felt arm bands with the white
stitched-in letter C. In 1950 Westbrook Pegler gave this book
the image of the nine U. S. correspondents then assigned to the war
working mostly through the B.E.F., British Expeditionary Force.
Pegler and 11 other Americans reporters spent most of their
time fighting strict British censorship. For their story, click
onto Epilogue:www.54warcorrespondents-kia-30-ww2.com/epilogue.html